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Library requests county funding for staff computer replacements and maintenance
Summary
Library staff asked commissioners to fund wages to keep pace with inflation, a $10,000 maintenance line (including a gas‑valve actuator replacement) and $15,000 toward replacing five‑year‑old staff computers so older machines can be repurposed for public use and classes.
The Albany County library asked commissioners to approve a modest package of budget increases aimed at keeping staff pay competitive and updating aging equipment.
At the work budget session the library presenter said the proposed budget includes across‑the‑board wage increases to help staff keep pace with inflation and to make targeted adjustments aimed at aligning salaries to the county salary scale. The presenter said some planned adjustments would be held in a payroll reserve if a people’s initiative affects county revenues in November.
On maintenance, the presenter requested a $10,000 increase to the maintenance line—$5,000 to hold for emergencies and $5,000 to replace a gas‑valve actuator showing serious wear. "We want to replace [the actuator] before it fails," the presenter said.
The library also asked the county for $15,000 to replace staff computers, with the library foundation contributing an additional $5,000. The presenter said the current machines are about five years old and that replacing them would allow the library to reformat older devices for public use and to run technology classes more effectively. "Replacing them all at once gives us streamlined maintenance and troubleshooting," the presenter said.
Commissioners questioned whether the library could rely on county IT rather than its current contractor. The presenter said the library historically chose a different contractor and benefits from nonprofit discounts; she noted technical and platform differences (the library runs a Google environment while county IT is Microsoft‑based) and monthly licensing arrangements the contractor manages.
The session also included follow‑up questions about a staff area ceiling that has been degraded for years. The presenter said previous attempts to fund a drop‑ceiling through specific‑purpose allocations or SPE requests were made but staff bandwidth and other priorities have delayed the repair; recent quotes to install a drop ceiling that would require moving mini‑split wiring were in the $25,000–$30,000 range and have not been funded.
The presenter closed by asking commissioners to let her know if they had additional questions; staff and commissioners agreed to return to these budget items in the next work session.
